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'Out of Africa' Announced for Blu-ray

Thu Feb 04, 2010 at 05:00 PM ET
Tags: Universal, Disc Announcements (all tags)

The 25th anniversary of Sydney Pollack's epic drama will be celebrated on Blu-ray this April.

Universal is working on the romantic drama 'Out of Africa' starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford for a Blu-ray release on April 27.

The Blu-ray/DVD flipper disc will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Feature Commentary with Director Sydney Pollack, Deleted Scenes, A Song of Africa, Theatrical Trailer, Production Notes (DVD side only), Cast and Filmmakers (DVD side only), My Scenes, and BD-Live.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is still unconfirmed.

You can find the latest specs for 'Out of Africa' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 27.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Out of Africa (Blu-ray)

'The Jackal' Stalks Blu-ray

Thu Feb 04, 2010 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: Disc Announcements, Universal (all tags)

The deadly assassin will be on the prowl in high-definition this April.

Universal is planning to unleash 'The Jackal' starring Bruce Willis and Richard Gere on Blu-ray April 27.

The Blu-ray/DVD flipper disc will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: The Making of The Jackal, Feature Commentary with Director Michael Caton-Jones, Production Notes, Cast and Filmmakers, Theatrical Trailer, BD Live, and My Scenes.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is still unconfirmed.

You can find the latest specs for 'The Jackal' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 27.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
The Jackal (Blu-ray)

'Traffic' Makes a Stop on Blu-ray

Thu Feb 04, 2010 at 09:00 AM ET
Tags: Universal, Disc Announcements (all tags)

Steven Soderbergh's gripping drama about the drug trade will be smuggled to high-definition this April.

Universal is prepping 'Traffic,' starring Benicio Del Toro, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Don Cheadle for Blu-ray release on April 27.

The Blu-ray/DVD flipper disc will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Deleted scenes, Inside Traffic, D-Box, My Scenes, and BD-Live.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is still unconfirmed.

You can find the latest specs for 'Traffic' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 27.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Traffic (Blu-ray)

'Dune' Blu-ray Announced

Wed Feb 03, 2010 at 03:00 PM ET
Tags: Universal, Disc Announcements (all tags)

David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic is coming to Blu-ray this April.

Universal is planning to release David Lynch's 'Dune' starring Kyle MacLachlan, Patrick Stewart, and Sting on high-definition on April 27.

The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Deleted Scenes with an Introduction by Raffaella De Laurentiis, Designing Dune, Dune FX, Dune Models & Miniatures, Dune Wardrobe Design, and D-Box support.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is still unconfirmed.

You can find the latest specs for 'Dune' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 27.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Dune (1984) (Blu-ray)

"Houston, We Have 'Apollo 13' on Blu-ray"

Wed Feb 03, 2010 at 11:00 AM ET
Tags: Disc Announcements, Universal (all tags)

Ron Howard's true story of the infamous NASA space mission will blast off for Blu-ray this April.

Universal has just revealed 'Apollo 13' starring Tom Hanks, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton is slated for high-definition liftoff on April 13.

The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Feature commentary with director Ron Howard, Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell and his wife Marilyn; U-Control: The Apollo Era: Learn about the other big events from the year of this historic mission—without stopping the movie; U-Control: Tech-Splanations:: Enjoy entertaining explanations of the science and technology of the Apollo 13 missions; Lucky 13: The Astronaut's Story: A "Dateline" television piece recounting the events of the mission; Lost Moon: The Triumph of Apollo 13: The making of the film including behind-the-scenes footage and interviews; Conquering Space: The Moon And Beyond: A recap of the last 45 years in space; D-Box Motion Control; pocketBlu; My Scenes; and BD-Live.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is still unconfirmed.

You can find the latest specs for 'Apollo 13' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 13.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Apollo 13 (Blu-ray)

'Pirate Radio' Blu-ray Detailed and Rescheduled

Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 09:00 AM ET
Tags: Universal, Disc Announcements (all tags)

The boat will now rock high-definition in April.

As previously reported, Universal Studios had said Pirate Radio' starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, and Kenneth Branagh was hitting Blu-ray in March, but now the date seems to have been moved to April 13.

The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include deleted scenes and an audio commentary with writer and director Richard Curtis, producer Hilary Bevan Jones and actors Nick Frost and Chris O'Dowd.

Blu-ray exclusives will include: Tuning In: Richard Curtis and cast members, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kenneth Branagh and Bill Nighy discuss the enormous influence pirate radio had in the UK in the 1960s; 7" of Heaven: Richard Curtis, Bill Nighy, Chris O'Dowd and Philip Seymour Hoffman discuss the life-changing effects of the music of the 1960s; All at Sea: Richard Curtis, Chris O'Dowd, Rhys Darby and Rhys Ifans discuss the fun and perils of filming at sea; Getting Ship Shape: Nick Frost and Chris O'Dowd discuss re-creating the Radio Rock boat as a set on dry land and Rhys Darby brings us on a tour of the set; Hitting The Decks: Tom Wisdom, who plays Mark 'The sexiest man in the world', shows us around Mark's cabin, a true 'love den,' on the day 35 semi-clothed women come to pay him a visit!; Mark's Love Den: Nick Frost, Rhys Ifans and Chris O'Dowd discuss the fun of learning to be a 1960s DJ for the film, My Scenes, Pocket Blu, and BD-Live.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $36.98.

You can find the latest specs for 'Pirate Radio' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 13.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Pirate Radio (Blu-ray)

'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series' Blu-ray Reissue

Mon Feb 01, 2010 at 03:50 PM ET
Tags: Universal, Disc Announcements (all tags)

One of the best Blu-ray releases last year will be "boxed" for a newer model with slimmer packaging this April, and it will now include 'The Plan.'

Universal has announced 'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series (Reissue)' for a Blu-ray release on April 6.

The Blu-ray box set will include all twenty discs from the previously released 'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series' and will now tack on 'Battlestar Galactica: The Plan.'

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has ben set at $299.98.

You can find the latest specs 'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series (Reissue)' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 6.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series (Re-issue) (Blu-ray)
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (Blu-ray)

The Best Blu-rays of 2009 (Since the Last Time We Did This List)

Mon Jan 04, 2010 at 04:20 PM ET
Tags: Drew Taylor, Best of 2009, Industry Trends, Warner, Criterion, 20th Century Fox, Sony, Universal, Disney, Pixar, Paramount (all tags)

Drew Taylor picks up where he left off last summer, to give us the latest and greatest list of HDD favorites!

by Drew Taylor

It was in August that I compiled my list of the Best Blu-rays of the Year, thus far. Now I'm back, with a few more months under our belt and a whole lot of fantastic high definition releases. Now, without further ado, another list of some of the year's best Blu-ray releases. These are the ones that deserve some recognition!

1.) 'The Wizard of Oz' (Warner Bros.)

Warner Bros. released a whole slew of high definition editions of their vaulted classics this year, most notably an admirable 'Gone with the Wind' and 'North by Northwest.' But it was their re-mastered edition of 'Wizard of Oz' timed to this fantasy classic's 70th Anniversary that really blew my mind. Not only did the film look and sound absolutely stunning, but it also contained enough special features to make even the wickedest witch gush enthusiastically (handfuls of documentaries, deleted scenes, archival materials, as well as retrospective pieces). Seeing this presentation of 'Wizard of Oz' is probably the closest any of us will have to the experience of viewing it when it was in the theaters, and after what felt like a dozen or so releases on DVD, this seems to be the definitive edition of this timeless film. The only annoying thing about this release was the way it came out, with an unnecessarily deluxe box set and varying editions at mass merchants. How about the next time you put out one of your heavy hitters, we skip all that needlessly wasteful packaging and just put it out in a classy edition everyone can afford? Still, you'd need to have lost your heart, brain, and courage not to go pick this one up immediately.

2.) Cult Movies on Blu-ray (Various)

While DVD seems to be petering out when it comes to releasing catalogue titles on home video (leaving the void to be filled by weirdo made-to-order services like Warner Archive and Amazon's Disc on Demand), Blu-ray is pressing ahead, giving us high definition versions of movies that barely made their way to DVD in the first place. Not only did the new format give us serviceable upgrades for older movies as varied and bizarre as Sam Raimi's 'Army of Darkness' and 'The Quick and the Dead;' Jim Henson's 'Labyrinth;' Fred Dekker's 'Monster Squad' and 'Night of the Creeps;' and John Landis' 'An American Werewolf in London,' but it also presented us with deluxe editions of more recent cult classics, like Jody Hill's 'Observe and Report;' Sam Raimi's 'Drag Me to Hell;' Michael Dougherty's direct-to-video 'Trick R Treat;' and Karyn Kusama's 'Jennifer's Body' or, as I like to call it, 'J-Bod.' I'm not saying these movies are for everyone, because, clearly, they aren't, but what's so nice is that we can now watch these esoteric films on the best possible format. Even more so than DVD, Blu-ray seems to be the real film lover's format, and these titles do much in the way to support that.

3.) 'Inglourious Basterds' (Universal)

Quentin Tarantino's World War II masterpiece, which might be the versatile director's greatest work as of yet, crash-landed on Blu-ray just before the year's end in an edition every bit worthy of the film. A flawless audio and video presentation highlights the delicate work that went into this rompin'-stompin' tale of Jewish soldiers seeking revenge behind enemy lines (led by a scenery chewing Brad Pitt). Augmented by a nice array of special features (including a great conversation between Tarantino, Pitt, and critic Elvis Mitchell), and you've got a must-own for any discerning film lover.

4.) 'Up' and 'Monsters, Inc.' (Disney/Pixar)

Disney and Pixar team up and make beautiful movies together. They also make absolutely fabulous Blu-rays. The direct digital-to-digital transfers mean the images are peerless (ditto the audio), and the special features are second to none. Marvel on the 'Up' disc as the creative team ventures to the same perilous mountains depicted in the film. On the 'Monsters, Inc.' disc, the special features are largely a retread of the DVD edition, except for the new retrospective roundtable discussion, which features disarmingly honest talk about how the 9/11 terrorist attacks impacted the film's production and release. Also, you get to see the 'Monsters, Inc.' ride at the Japanese Disney Park, which made me want to book my flight immediately.

5.) 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' (Disney)

As impressive as all the glittery computer-generated fare from Disney and Pixar can be, when Disney decided to release Walt's very first animated feature on high definition, the immortal fairy tale 'Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs,' they really did a great job with it. Not only was the transfer an absolute stunner, even if you chose to watch it with the silly "borders" (since it was a 1.33:1 film), but the amount of supplemental materials was just as staggering. Sometimes it's easier to "appreciate" these landmark films than to enjoy them, but 'Snow White' is every bit the emotional sucker-punch that it was when it was first released, and with the bevy of extra features giving you added context, it's an even more powerful experience.

6.) Il Divo (MPI) and 'Gomorrah' (Criterion)

These films are two new classics of Italian cinema. Paolo Sorrentino's 'Il Divo' is a hyper-stylish political film, a kind of evil 'West Wing,' about the corrupt Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti (played by Toni Servillo). While you won't always understand what's going on in the politics, it's such a strong character piece that you really won't care. 'Gomorrah,' by Matteo Garrone, demystifies the cinema gangster by showcasing the down-and-dirty lives of the lower level mafia guys (the guy that does the payroll, kids infatuated with 'Scarface' etc.) By splintering the story into five mini-arcs, Garrone does more to break apart the dangerous allure of big screen bad guys. Both films are devastating, powerful, invigorating tales made all the more dynamic by their flawless high definition presentations and a stolen truck's worth of extra features.

7.) 'Fight Club' (Fox)

Simple rule to follow: if David Fincher is going to put out one of his movies on Blu-ray, it's going to end up being one of the best discs of the year. Having already given us the high watermark-setting discs for 'Zodiac' and 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' this year, he finishes strong with his ten-year-old rumination on modern masculinity, male powerlessness, underground boxing, homosexual love, and the simple joys of bringing structured society to its knees through explosives and the power of corrosive thinking. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great (every thrown punch sounds like it originated from where the cat was just sitting), with all the special features from the deluxe DVD, plus a few brand new additions, including a hilarious look behind the scenes when Fincher and co-stars Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were awarded at a ridiculous Spike TV Awards ceremony. Now if only Criterion would surprise us by bringing out 'The Game' in 2010! Just imagine!

8.) 'Star Trek' (Paramount)

Boldly go. JJ Abrams' zeitgeist-capturing 'Star Trek' reboot absolutely sparkles on Blu-ray. The brightly optimistic future (indicated by all those lens flares) looks flawless in high definition, and the perfectly calibrated not-too-many, not-too-few special features illuminates the process without ever demystifying the film and its inherent magic. In terms of a 'new movie on Blu-ray' package, it doesn't get much better than this.

9.) 'Boogie Nights' (Warner Bros.)

Paul Thomas Anderson's signifier of future genius, a whirligig epic set in the San Fernando Valley porn scene in the 1970's, comes to Blu-ray in a blistering package that surpasses any previous home video version. (The extras, sadly, remain the same.) Sometimes historical detail and period costumes overwhelm the narrative, but not in the case of 'Boogie Nights,' which remains a profoundly human story. Still, it's kind of hard not to stare dumbfounded at how good this this film looks. Why Warner Brothers debuted such a stellar disc as a Best Buy exclusive is beyond baffling.

10.) 'Lost: Complete Fifth Season' Ridiculous Dharma Initiative Packaging Edition (Disney)

Because no other TV-show-on-Blu-ray was presented with the balls-out go-for-broke-ness that Disney gave the difficult penultimate season of their wondrous, time-bending sci-fi series 'Lost.' The largely 1970's-set season (don't ask) was reproduced with a package that included an oversized box and floppy discs. Oh, and the discs themselves? Well, the series has never looked or sounded better. When Disney broadcast the series in HD on ABC, the resolution was only 720p, so here, for the first time, is 'Lost's' fifth season in honest-to-god HD. Rounded out by a great collection of supplemental material and this is the ideal package for any 'Lost' die hard.

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'Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant' Blu-ray Announced

Wed Dec 23, 2009 at 02:30 PM ET
Tags: Universal, Disc Announcements (all tags)

The box office bomb based on the series of books by Darren Shan will rise from the dead on Blu-ray in February.

In another early announcement to retailers, Universal has revealed 'Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant' starring John C. Reilly, Chris Massoglia, and Salma Hayek will be coming to Blu-ray on February 23.

The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements haven't been revealed yet.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is still unconfirmed.

You can find the latest specs for 'Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 23.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (Blu-ray)

'Couples Retreat' Blu-ray Announced and Detailed

Wed Dec 23, 2009 at 09:00 AM ET
Tags: Universal, Disc Announcements (all tags)

Bon voyage! The hit comedy will receive a high-definition send off in February.

Universal has slated 'Couples Retreat' starring Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, and a slightly overweight Jean Reno for a Blu-ray bow on February 9.

The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include: Feature commentary with director Peter Billingsley and star Vince Vaughn, Alternate ending: Back in Chicago, Gag Reel, Therapy's Greatest Hits, Paradise Found: Filming in Bora Bora, Behind the Yoga, and a digital copy.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $36.98.

You can find the latest specs for 'Couples Retreat' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 9.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Couples Retreat (Blu-ray)


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